The next several weeks had gone swimmingly for Harry, Daphne, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Ron. Although he wasn't consistently present for their regular study sessions, Ron at least made the effort to show up on occasion, though of the three, he needed the most help. He once even admitted to Harry in private that he was starting to find Daphne both kind-hearted and bright, but he still never revealed to him that he was still quite jealous of Harry's relationship with her, and that he often felt like the third wheel of the outfit. This fact really bothered him, but he just couldn't figure out how to express his jealousy even though both Harry and Daphne would have understood and empathized with him. This would boil over one afternoon in late October…
It was October 31st – Halloween – and the students were giddy all day long. The castle was decorated with enchanted jack o'lanterns, and even the castle ghosts were in especially jovial spirits – no pun intended! Not only did the children have another decadent feast to look forward to that evening, but many of their professors handed out a small treat during class.
It was the last class of the day for both the Gryffindor and Slytherin first-year students – Charms, taught by the diminutive-yet-brilliant Professor Flitwick, the top-ranking Ravenclaw. He handed out caramel apples to his students at the beginning of class – it wasn't long before the firsties were feeling the buzz of a sugar rush. He demonstrated the levitation spell – wingardium leviosa, perhaps the trickiest task to date in his class.
It didn't take Daphne long at all to master the spell – she had managed to not only make her feather float, but she successfully managed to have her textbook levitate as well. Professor Flitwick was so impressed that he awarded Daphne five house points for her skill, and encouraged her to assist her struggling classmates – most of whom were not able to do anything but get their feathers to fan out a bit.
With just a small bit of encouragement, she got Harry to successfully levitate his feather, much to his delight. He gave her a small side-hug in appreciation, and she then turned her attention toward Ron, who was sitting in front of her, between Dean and Seamus – none of whom were having any success at all. "Excuse me, Harry," Daphne said in a soft voice. "Let me see if I can help Ronald out. I'll be right back, mmkay?"
"That's fine, Daphne," replied Harry. "I'll just keep practicing in the meantime. If I can do it once, I can do it again." Daphne flashed a warm smile at Harry, as she traipsed to the row in front of her.
"How's it going, Ronald?" Daphne asked in a sweet tone.
"I'unno, okay, I guess," replied Ron in a nonchalant manner.
"D'you mind if I watch you try the levitation spell? Maybe give you a pointer?" suggested Daphne.
Ron shrugged. "Why not," he replied indifferently.
"Let's have a look then," Daphne murmured. Ron rapped his wand violently in the air several times, while incanting wingardium leviosa, but nothing happened.
"I think I see the problem," Daphne said. "You're not swishing and flicking – you look like you're clubbing a hellhound to death! It's a simple, smooth motion – like so." She took her wand out, and demonstrated a much more fluid motion. "And you need to say wingardium leviosa with more fluency – winGARdium leviOsa, just like that, mmkay?"
Ron's jealousy got the better of him, and he lost the last vestiges of his patience. "That's great, Daphne, but if I wanted your help, I would have asked you for it," he grumbled in a most unappreciative tone. Daphne's jaw dropped – the words cut her quite deeply. Without another word, she briskly walked back to her set next to Harry, with a tear streaming down her cheek.
"What's wrong, Daphne?" Harry asked, seeing that Daphne was clearly offended.
"Ronald," she sniffed. "He said… he said he doesn't want my help. I just wanted to show him that I care."
Harry gently wrapped his arms around Daphne. "If it means anything, I appreciate your help. And he needs your help, and he knows it… look, I'll try and talk some sense into him after class, all right? You're a smart, kind, and helpful girl, and he knows it – I think there's something that's been eating him for a while, and I don't think it's due to the fact that you're a Slytherin… I don't know what it is exactly, but the sooner he gets it off his chest, the better off we'll all be."
"Thank you, Harry," Daphne whispered, forcing a smile. "I don't think he's a bad person, but he strikes me as having some anger issues, and truth be told – he's a little lazy."
Harry nodded. "Except for today, I think things have been getting better between the two of you, but it's still a little awkward. I want him to feel included, and I'm sure you do too."
When class concluded, Harry told Daphne that he'd meet up with her later on that evening, and he hurried to the courtyard where he caught up with Ron, Dean, and Seamus.
Harry was slightly out of breath by the time he found his friend. "Hey Ron," he said. "Do you have a minute? We need to talk, mate. It's kinda important."
Ron sighed. "All right, Harry… but I don't have all afternoon. We have a feast to get ready for, y'know!"
Harry nodded. "I'll get to the point, then. It's about Daphne. Why did you blow her off like that? She only wants to help you, and I think you know that."
"If I need help, I'll ask for it myself," huffed Ron indignantly.
Harry gave Ron a look. "You haven't asked for help in the past two months, Ron, but you clearly need it. You're barely getting by in your classes, and you're capable of so much better. I know it, you know it, and Daphne knows it. Daphne's one of the brightest students of our year, and she's willingly offering her assistance. Even if I don't always initiate it, I always listen to her because she truly cares about me. She cares about you as well… it would do you some good to pay attention to what she says because for all we know, it could bloody well save your life someday!"
Harry took a breath, not realizing that he raised his voice slightly. He then lowered his voice, not much more than a murmur. "You know what else bothered me this afternoon? Daphne came back to me with tears running down her cheeks. Yes, Ron… you made her cry. I hope you're pleased with yourself – that girl studies her backside off and she still finds time to help others out because her parents have taught her that a good witch always helps those in need, like you and me."
Ron's face flushed with shame. "I didn't want to make her cry… I didn't mean to, either… look, I'm sorry, Harry…"
The flustered Harry shook his head. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, Ron." He then gave Ron an empathetic look. "I think something's been bothering you for some time about Daphne, and I don't think it's about her being a Slytherin. You and I both know she's a terrific girl with a heart of gold."
Ron hung his head in shame – he might as well spill the beans. "Harry… erm, well… I don't really know how to say this, but… I'm kinda jealous of you two… I feel kind of left out."
Harry's eyes widened at this revelation. "So that's what this is all about. I wish you would have told us earlier, Ron. We would have understood. And I promise we don't mean to make you feel left out – we really want you to be a part of the group." He then smirked at his friend. "Do you feel a bit better getting that off your chest?"
Ron grinned. "Yeah, I do feel a bit better, actually."
Harry returned the smile. "Good, I'm glad to hear that. And you really should apologize to Daphne this evening – she'll forgive you, I promise. In the meantime, why don't you go for a walk or something, and clear your head for a bit? I'm sure you'd like to put this all behind you as much as I do."
Ron nodded. "Sounds good, mate. I'll see you in a bit."
Harry patted Ron on the shoulder, and headed for the Gryffindor dorms to get ready for the big feast. Ron, meanwhile, took Harry's advice and went for a constitutional. He left the castle courtyard and headed in the direction of the Dark Forest. The sun was setting so he knew he didn't have much time before he needed to head back, but something that vaguely resembled music caught his ears. He gradually wandered toward the source of the sound, and several minutes later, he saw a large man with a set of bagpipes, sitting just outside his hut, which probably looked far too small for a man of his stature.
The big, bearded fellow saw Ron head toward his direction, and he put down his bagpipes to greet the ginger-haired student. "Ronald Weasley!" he bellowed. "It's been a while since I saw yer. How are things going?" he asked with a hearty chuckle.
Ron sighed. "It's been a long day, Hagrid. It's Halloween and I know I should be excited, but I'm not as excited as I should be. Y'see, I made a friend of mine cry today, though I didn't mean to… it was Charms class, and Daphne offered to help me, but I was too stubborn to accept it… and the way I said I didn't want her help, I think I really hurt her… thank Merlin, Harry had enough sense to talk to me about it."
Hagrid smiled at Ron. "Yer a youngin' yet, Ronald Weasley. That's just part of growing up, yer make mistakes, but they're not so bad as long as yer learn summat from 'em. And Daphne is a terrific girl, yer know. Not a bad bone in her body. Yer would do well ter listen ter her – she's wise beyond her years, that's for certain!" He gestured inside. "Why don't yer come inside for a bit of treacle tart?"
Ron followed Hagrid gratefully inside his cramped hut. He accepted only a very small piece, on account of him wanting to save his appetite for the feast. It was a good thing that his piece was small, because it was very, very chewy – much like superglue, and honestly, not much tastier. But Ron was polite about it all the same.
It didn't take long for the sky to turn pitch black. "I think it's time we head ter the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast, eh Ronald?" chuckled Hagrid. Before he opened the door to escort Ron back to the castle, a hulking figure in the distance caught his eye. Whatever it was, it came from the castle… and it was huge. It was a scaly grayish-blue monster, at least nine feet tall, and it carried a nasty looking cudgel with a couple of rusty spikes jutting out of it. It was a fearsome mountain troll – where in the world did it come from?
"Mountain troll," growled Hagrid. "Stay down. I'll see if I can hold 'im off. Wait 'ere." If there was a person on school grounds that could go mano-a-mano with a troll, it would have been him. Hagrid stepped outside his hut, and flagged the dimwitted brute down. "Hey, ugly! If yer looking for a fight, well, yer just got one!" The mountain troll slowly shifted its attention toward Hagrid, and lurched forward at a methodical pace. Hagrid marched toward the troll and met with him about fifty metres from his hut. Although Hagrid was huge fellow of over eight feet tall, he wasn't quite as massive as the hulking troll, but he had enough strength to put up a bit of a fight. Hagrid's left hand grabbed the troll's right wrist, which at least temporarily prevented it from swinging its club, and then he landed a mighty haymaker on the troll's temple, causing the troll to collapse unconscious on the ground.
Hagrid then returned to the hut to fetch Ron. "I knocked 'im out, but he won't be out much more than a few minutes. We'll need to get ter the Great Hall quickly – Professor Dumbledore will know what ter do." The two sprinted back to the castle. Well, Ron sprinted at least, while Hagrid just took giant strides that easily kept pace with Ron's running.
When Hagrid and Ron returned to the Great Hall, the feast was just about to be underway. Hagrid nodded Ron farewell as Ron took his seat at the Gryffindor table, and Hagrid approached the faculty table. Most of the faculty was assembled, but Professor Quirrell was notably missing. Hagrid whispered in Professor Dumbledore's ear about the knocked-out mountain troll not far from his hut. Dumbledore simply nodded – the news didn't appear to faze him much outwardly at least.
Professor Dumbledore stood to his feet and addressed the entire Great Hall. "May I have your attention, please? I have a most urgent matter to attend to. The feast will be delayed by only a few minutes – I appreciate your patience. Thank you." He bowed his head, and then beckoned for Professors McGonagall and Snape to accompany him outside. Hagrid dutifully followed the three professors outside the castle.
"What happened? You were with Hagrid," Harry whispered to Ron.
"Please don't tell anybody – I don't want the castle to go berserk," pleaded Ron.
"You have my word," Harry assured his friend.
"I came across Hagrid on my walk, and he invited me in for a bit of treacle tart," explained Ron in a low voice. "Word of warning – you might just want to stick with tea if he ever invites you in. Anyway, we stayed and just talked about how our days went, and I told him how rotten I felt for making Daphne cry earlier today. He said a lot of the things you said – she's a smart girl, and that I probably should listen to her more."
Harry nodded with a small smile, grateful to know that he wasn't the only one that got through to Ron.
"And when it was time to leave for the feast, he saw a huge mountain troll – it was even bigger than Hagrid," continued Ron. "But Hagrid of course is a lot smarter than that peabrain, and knocked it out with one mighty swing! We had to hurry inside the castle because he knew that the troll wouldn't be out long… I'm glad he got Dumbledore's attention when he did." He shook his head in disbelief. "I have no idea where that thing even came from!"
"You were very lucky to be with Hagrid, Ron," Harry murmured. "I'd only trust him, or a fully-trained wizard to take on something so frightful." He then motioned over to the Slytherin table. "Daphne's sitting over with Blaise, Tracey, and Millie. I'm sure we have a little time to spare, why don't we go over there now and get that last bit of weight off your chest? I promise she'll forgive you."
"No time like the present, I s'pose," sighed Ron. Harry grinned and clapped his friend on the shoulder.
The two Gryffindors made it over to the Slytherin table. Daphne was giggling with her housemates when Harry tapped her on the shoulder, grinning broadly.
"Hiya, Harry!" Daphne said. "How's it going?"
"Not bad," Harry said. "D'you mind if we speak with you in private for just a moment please? It's about this afternoon." He had a grin on his face, which caused Daphne to breathe a sigh of relief. She got up from her seat, and the three friends made their way to the corner of the room, where they were afforded at least a small semblance of privacy.
Ron then spoke up. "Daphne, I just wanted to let you know that I'm really sorry for making you cry earlier today… it wasn't what I wanted, honest. Y'see, I guess you being a Slytherin isn't a huge deal cuz you're actually nice, but what's been eating me all term is that I've been a bit jealous of you and Harry, and that I didn't always feel included… and I'm sure you didn't mean for it to be that way, but that's how I felt, right or wrong. And I promise to listen to you more from now on."
Daphne's face brightened tenfold. "Thank you, Ronald," she said. "And I'm also sorry if you were jealous of my friendship with Harry. Neither of us meant to make you feel excluded… but if you're going to make an effort to listen to me more, we'll do what we can to help make you feel more included going forward, okay? You're our friend too, and we truly care about you. We always have. And friends are also open with each other… if something we do really bothers you, please let us know instead of keeping those feelings bottled up!"
At that moment, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Hagrid returned to the Great Hall. Harry and Ron bade Daphne farewell, and they returned to their respective seats. Just a few short moments later, Dumbledore gave the cue to start the Halloween feast. It was every bit as delicious as the Start of Term banquet, but it was even more fun as it was festively decorated. Even the prankster poltergeist Peeves was dressed for the occasion – a hobo with brightly colored and impressively patterned patches, and he even had an orange polka dotted bindle on a stick! The castle ghosts even made an appearance – some of them, like Sir Nicholas (popularly known as Nearly Headless Nick), politely greeted the children; others, like the Bloody Baron, played light-hearted pranks on the students. Poor Blaise Zabini thought he was about to munch on a tasty chicken nugget, but he grimaced when he munched on something that tasted like earwax! The ghosts didn't stay too long, as they had a celebration of their own to attend to – Sir Nicholas had his 499th Deathday Celebration to look forward to; it was a bittersweet event as he had recently been denied - yet again – entry to the Headless Hunt.
It didn't take long for Harry and Ron to eat their fill. When it was time to return upstairs, Ron offered to play wizard's chess with Harry.
"I've never played it," admitted Harry. "Not even Muggle chess. Could you teach me?"
Ron smirked. "It's easy to learn, but it takes lots of practice to actually be good at it. I've got my grandfather's set – it's older than dirt, and I've been using it for several years myself, but it still works just as well as when it was brand new! If we play a couple of times a week, I'd imagine you'd be a pretty worthy opponent by the end of term."
"All right," agreed Harry. "Daphne and I have our walks and study time, so I suppose it's only right that you and I share something… might as well be wizard's chess!"